President Obama: Tear Down the Wall Between Eritrea and Ethiopia – By Daniel Ogbaharya

President Obama is in the midst of a historic visit, having travelled to his ancestral homeland, Kenya, where his father hails from, and now Ethiopia — one of Africa’s “lion” economies and an important ally of Washington in the volatile region of the Horn of Africa.

Situated across the busy shipping corridor of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea where millions of barrels of oil transit everyday, the Horn of Africa is home to a total of 160 million people residing in eight countries – Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda. It is also the only area of Africa where the United States maintains a large military base, the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, located in Djibouti.

Obama is expected to hold bilateral talks with the Ethiopian government on many fronts: trade, investment, regional security, aid, and development. He will also meet with the mediators of the on-going civil war in South Sudan. Finally, Obama will address the African Union, which makes him the first US president to do so.

The historic visit to Ethiopia affords Obama a golden opportunity to change the course of history in this geo-strategically vital but also unstable corner of Africa. No other part of Africa has a more dire need for peace and stability than the Horn.

A key source of instability in the region is the almost two-decade cold war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Stuck in a stalemate over a border row, the governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia are now effectively pursuing a strategy of mutual destruction.

In an address to parliament on July 8, 2015, Ethiopia’s premier, Halemariam Desalegn, “threatened” to retaliate against Eritrea in response to what he called the latter’s “destabilization” campaign. Although there has not been major war since direct hostilities ended in 2000, both countries have been fighting through their proxies: armed rebel organizations that they host and support against each other. Their proxy war has spilled over to Somalia.

Stability in the Horn of Africa can be greatly enhanced by ending the state of war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Obama can urge Ethiopia, which receives significant military and financial assistance from Washington, to make peace with Eritrea.

By “tearing down the wall” of mutual animosity between Eritrea and Ethiopia – two countries closely tied via a common history, languages, culture, economy and geography – Obama can shape the future of the region that has endured incalculable human suffering as a result of incessant wars, political repression, chronic poverty, climate change, desertification, and HIV/AIDs. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are fleeing the region due to few economic opportunities, political persecution, and ecological stress.

A regional peace in the Horn would pave the way to greater cooperation among the countries of the Horn in the areas of poverty eradication, public health, development, and terrorism.

The Road to Regional Peace

The road to greater peace and stability in the Horn goes through Eritrea and Ethiopia, who fought a devastating war over their disputed border between 1998 and 2000 ending in a peace truce in 2002. Yet peace remains elusive mainly because Ethiopia, with the tacit support of the US, has refused to accept in its entirety the international verdict that delimited the disputed 1000 km border between the two countries.

Even though it had initially accepted the ruling, Ethiopia later backpedalled from the “˜final and binding’ verdict, insisting with impunity on changing key aspects of the decision. As a result, 13 years after the internationally assembled and recognized Border Commission finished its work with virtual demarcation of the border, the two arch-rivals remain in a state of cold war with catastrophic economic, political, and social repercussions.

Directly or indirectly, the US bears a responsibility for this regional crisis because it decided to look the other way when Ethiopia reneged on its obligations under the Algiers peace accord to comply with the outcomes of the international tribunal.

What can Obama do to end a deep-rooted and complicated conflict between two African countries? Obviously, Obama does not have a panacea. But he can urge Ethiopia to comply with international law and proceed with demarcating the well-defined border.

This will pave the way for normalization as Eritrea’s only condition for not entering into direct talks with Ethiopia has been the border issue. Rightly, Eritrea insists the border must be demarcated according to the 2002 ruling and Ethiopia should withdraw from sovereign Eritrean territory, a key condition needed for opening the dialogue and normalization process.

If Obama can make peace with Cuba, he certainly can bring peace between his close ally, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. In Ethiopia, Obama has another historic opportunity to solidify his laurels as a Nobel Peace Prize winner by helping end this long-running inter-state dispute in Africa. By doing so, he can impress upon African leaders that it is not taboo to “talk to our enemies” and make peace. What a wonderful legacy that would be for the son of Africa that audaciously ascended to the presidency of the lone superpower!

Daniel Ogbaharya is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Western Illinois University where he teaches among others courses in African politics, development, and environmental studies. He can be reached at dghebre13@gmail.com

Time is now for the African continent to rise to prosperity while shunning wars. East African Nations are now perceived as a cradle of economic activities underlined by massive infrastructure hence has alerted the attention of the west and the East.President Obama’s recent visit to Kenya and Ethiopia is awake-up call to Africa that the west is ready to work with you in a meaningful way or manner but no exploitation of Africa’s massive Natural resources.

I believe you nailed the truth. Thank you so much pointing out the real issue happening between these two sistersâ€™ countries, Eritrea and Ethiopia. Unfortunately, it has been given a blind eye by the UN and USA for a log time. It needs to be looked at VERY seriously. That does not help anyone especially the people who lives in the midst of this terrible situation. Mr. President Obama, please serve the TRUTH. Africans will remember you forever as a hero president.

Eritrea is putting conditions to normalize relation with Ethiopia, Ethiopia leaving Badme. A country puts a certain condition only when it benefits from the conditions that has been put forward. Eritrea putting condition to normalize relation therefore should be a benefitting Eritrea, stop crying. For the border issue, Eritrea rolled its tanks to Ethiopia in 1998, because Eritrea had better military at that time than Ethiopia, to undisputed Ethiopia territory until that day. Before 1998 Ethiopia and Eritrea had no any border dispute. Ethiopia and Eritrea border was well defined before 1998. Since Eritrea started to occupy Ethiopia’s territories and went to international court, Ethiopia should do like wise since Ethiopia has a strong military now than 1998. Write based on perspective, please.

That all sounds good and worthwhile. However, Eritrea is a certified dictatorship. No constitution, no parliament, no national budget, no independent judiciary, no rule of law, no free press, and a small toady opportunists in what might be called the executive branch.

Eritrea is a one pony show. No sane government bargains with one man. Governments deal with constituted governments. Until then, a border demarcation is wishful thinking.

Also, why does a border dispute become a pretext for running a servile system? there are tens of countries around the world that have border issues, and yet they function very well. They do not let one unresolved issue be the cause to strangle a nation.

Excellent Article – well balanced, judicious report. I hope both sides will learn from this type of reporting. You can be an Eritrean, you can be an Ethiopian, one has to like it; short of that should be damned.

Excellent Article – well balanced, judicious report. I hope both sides will learn from this type of reporting. You can be an Eritrean, you can be an Ethiopian, one has to like it; short of that should be damned.
Comment addressed to Mr. Daniel

You are trying to convey a message of your father , the dictator, Esayas Afwerki….looking only the Eritrean side…how about the family members that will be divided in to two according to your one eyed idea…

Dear Sir,
Do you think that the problem between the two countries will be solved because President Obama instructs Ethiopian PM to accept the demarcation. In my opinion, this will not solve the case. Rather, The Eritrean government should accept first the correction in the decision of the demarcation should be made i.e. Badme should be included to its mother land Ethiopia. And there are also places of Eritrea which had by mistake been decided to be included to Ethiopia. Otherwise, the Ethiopians living in these arguable places will not let this to happen. And the Solution may bring another huge problem. The best solution is to revise the decision by considering concrete evidence from both sides. And I advise the US government to work on this. Other wise, the proposed solution would be a problem again.

The biggest problem the Continent is facing has nothing to do with Terrorism,Economic growth or anything of that Nature…..One needs to distinguish the Nations with their own Unique Identity rather than put all of Africa like if it is a common-basket……Like some Missionaries i Faced once….The word go to Africa is like a common calling for one who has no direction……I am just tired of Hearing the Non-sense word Africa like if it is a certain culture or a certain region that has a uniformity when facts are otherwise……Stop-stereo typing yourselves….That is All.

I believe, this is the key issue to permanently secure East Africa from terrorism. We Eritreans and Ethiopians need peace. Nobody did benefit from the conflict. Overall, Eritreans and Ethiopians are very connected with culture, language and religion.

There should be real and trustful relation between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Culturally, politically and economically inseparable countries never be successful separately. I want to see these two sister countries working together in my life. Quarrel and love is in minds of people.

Ethiopia broke the record as having by far the largest number of sex workers in the continent.

Ethiopians are known to be the most beautiful people of all black people as study shows. Most black people lovers would definitely like to get their hands on Ethiopians as the current Ethiopian so called government pimp is encouraging. It was bad enough the government was cheated into agreeing to pimp the ladies to the Arab world .The then Prime Minster of Ethiopia Meles Zenawi who also happen to be my father admitted he was wrong for allowing such an error to take place even before it back fired violently, to make matters worse now the current leaders are pimping the boys .

President Barack Obama has been using his time in Africa to advocate for the rights of LGBT people..Obama was criticized by Kenya’s President Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto but not the Ethiopian leaders regarding Obama’s stand on LGBT rights .

Anti-Gay Ethiopians Freaked Out as Rainbow Welcomes President Obama while the Ethiopian government praised the rainbow sharing the photos to gay right movement activists in the world.

The photo was taken and posted by Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was captioned: . Ethiopia is known to have the largest number of sex workers in the continent . Both male and female prostitution by people as early age as nine years old is being encouraged by the government because it generates foreign currency which the government officials are determined to acquire at whatever cost, regardless the damage it is doing to the Ethiopian health , culture , tradition , society and values.

Many people that went back to the country decades later are saying Ethiopians lifestyle and values have changed totally 100% mostly to the worst since TPLF transformed it to the junkyard/toilet of the world.I am starting to think they are right. My dad knew the track the government was heading is not correct but he was silenced before he changed the track.

Even president of Kenya Kenyatta responded during the same press conference, saying that despite the U.S. and Kenya sharing some values such as â€œlove for democracy, entrepreneurship [and] value for families,â€ there are some things Kenyan culture and society do not accept, and calling gay rights a â€œnon-issue.â€

â€œThe fact remains that this issue is not really an issue that is in the foremost mind of Kenyans,â€ Kenyatta said.

Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya, as it is throughout most of the African continent. Gay sex, defined in the Kenyan penal code as â€œcarnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature,â€ is criminalized with a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. The State Department highlighted discrimination against LGBT persons in Kenya in its annual human rights report this year and said discrimination and violence against LGBT groups is â€œwidespread.â€

Kenyan media reports that senators and church leaders were encouraged by Kenyattaâ€™s â€œfirm but respectfulâ€ stance on gay marriage.
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Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry, the New Yorkâ€“based nonprofit supporting marriage equality, tweeted his support for Obamaâ€™s comments supporting LGBT rights.

when it come to the horn of Africa we need to use the care use of our historical and geogrophical demarcations. The horn of Africa does not and will always remain since historical demarcated covering Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti,somalia and Damscus. But it does not include Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Southern Sudan. However, East Africa covers Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and today it includes Southern Sudan.

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